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I COULDN’T believe my eyes.
There, on the back page of the latest issue of my favourite lifestyle magazine was a full page glossy ad for a Montblanc pen.
Not just any old Montblanc pen (although, come to think of it, there probably isn’t such a thing), but a particularly envy-inducing black one with a handcrafted 14-carat gold nib with rhodium-plated inlay, platinum-plated clip and rings and a sparkling “43-facet Montblanc diamond” set in the top.
I’ve always had a thing for Montblanc pens – well, for all beautiful writing instruments but especially for these droolworthy darlings.
That’s not what had me in a state of disbelief, though. It was an entirely appropriate back page advertisement for this edition of the publication – heralded on its front page as “the luxury issue” – glossy, gorgeous and out of my price range.
No, what upset me was the glaring error – as obvious as a nose ring at a nuns’ convention – right in the middle of the prominent “blurb”.“Discover the most enduring expression of a legend …” it said.
“It‘s star-shaped emblem, sculpted in the …”
Not only was there an apostrophe plonked where it shouldn’t be, but it was also the wrong way round!
That’s complete carelessness.
You may think it doesn’t matter but, dear readers, it does.
If a company so apparently dedicated to perfection – and which isn’t shy about charging high prices for it – can’t be bothered to check the small stuff, then what’s the betting the quality of its product has deteriorated, too?
Quite high, I’d say.Footnote: As soon as I saw the mistake, I dashed off an e-mail to Montblanc.
Only fair to give them a chance to sort it out, light a rocket under their ad agency, do whatever was necessary to protect their image. After all, meticulous attention to detail is supposed to be one of their hallmarks.
And their response?
A computer-generated reply saying the company would contact me “as soon as possible”.
That was more than two weeks ago …
In the meantime, my own Montblanc pen – without a diamond, I should add – has been relegated to the back of the stationery cupboard.It’s somehow lost its sparkle. – Stevie Godson
(*The author of this piece is English, so the spelling of “lustre” is, too!)

This entry was posted by stevieg on Monday, August 23rd, 2010 at
6:26 am and is filed under
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